According to our current understanding of physics, as described by Einstein's theory of special relativity, it is not possible for any object with mass to travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 299,792,458 meters per second or about 186,282 miles per second). This speed is often denoted by the symbol "c."
As an object with mass approaches the speed of light, its relativistic mass increases, and the energy required to accelerate it further also increases. The closer the object gets to the speed of light, the more energy is needed, and at the speed of light, an infinite amount of energy would be required. Since this is not physically possible, objects with mass cannot reach or exceed the speed of light.
If one were hypothetically able to travel faster than the speed of light, it would lead to several paradoxes and violations of fundamental principles of causality and causation:
Time Dilation: Special relativity predicts that as an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down relative to an observer who is not moving at such a high velocity. If an object were to travel faster than light, time dilation would become imaginary, and causality would break down, leading to situations where effects would precede their causes.
Causality Violation: If you could travel faster than light, it would allow you to receive information from events happening in the future. This concept is known as "causality violation" and is not consistent with our understanding of how the universe operates.
Infinite Energy: As mentioned earlier, to reach the speed of light, an object with mass would require an infinite amount of energy. Achieving a speed greater than light would require even more unattainable energy.
Tachyons: Hypothetical particles called "tachyons" are sometimes considered in speculative physics. Tachyons are particles that, by definition, always travel faster than light. However, they have never been observed, and their existence is purely theoretical. Moreover, if they did exist, they would have peculiar properties, such as traveling backward in time.
In summary, faster-than-light travel is currently considered impossible within the framework of our known laws of physics. It would lead to logical contradictions and paradoxes that violate causality and our understanding of the fundamental nature of space and time. While it's an exciting topic in science fiction, it remains firmly in the realm of speculation and imaginative storytelling rather than practical scientific reality.